On A Collision Course
by Daisydoodle820
Summary: Basically, what happens when each side of the love square run into each other. Rated T for one curse word in chapter 2.
1. Adrienette

This is one of my old stories that I actually really like. I hope you enjoy it!

After a wardrobe malfunction his father had taken notice of, the photoshoot Adrien was supposed to be in was delayed by an hour, but it would be fixed and those responsible would be fired. So, while the chaos was unfolding, Adrien snuck away.

There was no doubt in Adrien's mind that he could be back before they noticed- he just had to tell everyone he had been in the dressing rooms and he'd be fine. This was not the first time he had escaped like this, and it would definitely not be the last.

Adrien cherished the moments he could get away from the chaos of the fashion industry, and this was his chance. Not in his room, where he would be shut away from the rest of humanity, or on the streets fighting akuma with his lady- while he could find entertainment and joy in other escapes, it was never as pure or calming as it did when he left shoots. It gave him a sense of control that lacked in his life.

With no specific place in mind, he left the park and wandered. Walking past the Dupain-Cheng bakery (the food there was too good to be made by humans, and he had other friends who would swear the same) and past his school, he took in the sun's warmth without the stiffiling gaze of his father or a photographer. He closed his eyes to take it in.

That's where his mistake was. He was not close to a corner and there was no one else on the sidewalk, so he thought that he would be fine.

That was not the case, as someone barreled into him and knocked him over. Their small body landed on his with a yelp as he saved them from falling on the concrete- though he was not spared the pain. Nothing was broken, but he was sure he'd gotten a few bruises on his back. However, the pain was not too bad. The only thing he was concerned about was the scolding he'd get for dirtying his clothes. There were excuses for such things, though, so he figured he'd be fine.

Meanwhile, the person atop him was red in the face and squeaking loudly- he couldn't make out a lot of the words, but it was obvious that she didn't think he would be fine.

"Gah- ohmygoshAdrien-" tons of incomprehensible noises followed with random apologies and other words mixed in. The only thought Adrien had in the few moments of Marinette still laying on his chest was "God she's so beautiful"- which was immediately followed with the main part of his brain screaming about how he was betraying his lady. Yet, he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.

Marinette realized that through her apologies she was still laying on him, so she seemed to collect some composure and sat up. At this point, she was straddling him and that made her even more embarrassed.

As fast as humanly possible, she rolled (yes, rolled- her legs were jelly and she wanted off Adrien ASAP) off of Adrien and stood. Then, she held out a shaking hand for Adrien to take. Naturally, he took it with much enthusiasm. Somehow the petite girl pulled him up with ease, her biceps rippling with the effect. Never having reason to, Adrien had never noticed how strong she was. If she tried, she could beat Kim to a bloody pulp.

"I'm so sorr- I'm so sorry, Adrien. I didn't- I wasn't looking and I- I wasn't paying attention! I guess- I guess I just-" She was stuttering for two reasons:

1\. She was talking to _**Adrien**_.

2\. Since she helped him up, he was standing _incredibly_ close. Marinette couldn't function at a space of five meters, much less millimeters. By the grace of some deity Marinette would have to invest worship in, he didn't catch on to her odd behavior. Likely because around him, it wasn't too odd.

"It's alright, Marinette. I wasn't looking either, so we should share the blame."

Adrien didn't know it, but saying stuff like this is what melted her into a puddle of happy goo. Without Alya to help her escape so she could go collapse, however, Marinette would have to make it out on her own.

"Alright, sounds- sounds fair." To Adrien's ears it sounded confident- for her, at least. Shyness was just one of the many endearing things about her, and for her around him? This was like she had just fought a pride of lions. To Marinette it just sounded like another flaw, another fault she wanted to fix; but she didn't let on to that.

"Well, I have to- I have to back go to the bakery in the parents! Er, no! The parents in the back- the bakery-" She stumbled as Adrien smiled softly at her, melting her even more. On days like these, when she interacted with Adrien, she felt like she was ice cream and he was the sun- when he spoke to her, the rays of his smile melted her.

"I understand. Do you have any suggestions of midday snacks from your 'bakery in the parents'?" teased Adrien as he followed her in the general direction of her home. Marinette's cheeks grew a nice shade of rosy pink, but she knew it was in good fun. Adrien was just focusing on how much he liked that color of pink on her face. It suited her quite well, he thought, and he would love to make that shade show up on her face more often.

"Oh!" Marinette managed to squeak as she realized he was looking to her for suggestions. "Oh, uh…. I guess… maybe the- I guess maybe the chocolate croissants?"

Her suggestion sounded more like a question than anything else, but she guessed it was good enough because Adrien's face lit up with delight.

"Oh, yeah! I should definitely get some of those!" Marinette smiled at his enthusiasm. She still had a pit of nervousness in her stomach, but she felt it lessen. Adrien was human, after all, and he was so adorable she couldn't help but relax.

It passed in blissful quiet as they walked in sync. If anyone were to see them pass by, they would have had a vague thought of how adorable young people in love look. No one passed by, though, and no one told them. Even if they had been stopped, they would have been too embarrassed to respond.

Too soon for either teen's taste, the walk ended; nonetheless, Adrien's enthusiasm was replenished when he walked inside. (Marinette, on the other hand, was a little more cautious, for fear her parents would say something- specifically her dad).

The smells of baking goods hit Adrien in the face the way a pillow does after a long day- it calms and warms you, it centers you a bit. Most of all, it made Adrien happy.

As Adrien closed his eyes to better appreciate the scent of bread and sugars and the likes, Marinette was making faces at her parents, who were behind the counter and shocked to see the two. They both recovered from their shock just in time for Adrien's eyes to open.

"Hello, dear! What would you like today?" Asked Mrs. Dupain-Cheng.

"Well, Marinette suggested chocolate croissants? I figured I'd stash away some food for emergencies."

"Like 3 AM paper writing?" Marinette asked. She forced herself to pretend he was Nino, and she had managed a full sentence. Wow, she was improving a lot from five minutes ago! Now she just had to keep it up.

"I have only done that once, I will have you know." Adrien declared. Marinette gave him a look. "Fine, it's not that rare. More like once a week." He would have been _fine_ if not for akuma attacks.

"See? The truth is much so- uh, er, so much better." Marinette yelled at herself inside her brain for her slip-up, but kept it inside.

"So, son, how many would you like?" Tom asked. Marinette was grateful- now she had time to recuperate and calm her red face.

"Uh…. ten?" Adrien wasn't sure how many were really appropriate, but no matter what number his dietician was going to freak.

"Ten chocolate croissants, coming right up!" On the way to the counter, Adrien was distracted by macaroons- he had never seen so many flavors in one place.

Guided through by Mrs. Sabine, he got some samples and bought a surplus of what he liked.

"Eh, whatever I don't eat, my bodyguard will." was all he said in response to Marinette's shocked expression. Sabine shot her a look of disapproval and she quickly wiped the look off her face.

Adrien checked his phone for the time.

"Ah, shoot. I gotta go." His voice was not so much panicking as bored and tired.

"What, a photoshoot?" Marinette inquired.

"Yeah, I kinda slipped out of one and I should be back in like two minutes."

"Then run!" she exclaimed. When he didn't, Marinette pulled his arm and she led him to the park. No, it shouldn't be too creepy that she knew where it was. She had not known the time, no- but she was _well_ aware of the photographer's setting preferences. Too aware, if she was being honest. When she deposited a breathless Adrien in sight of the shoot, she took a second to catch her breath before turning back to home.

"Hey, Marinette?" Adrien asked before she could go.

"Ye- yeah, Adrien?" This time, her stutter was more due to breathing patterns than shyness.

"Would you be willing to stay? It'd go by a lot quicker if you stayed around. I might be able to convince Father to let us hang out after, too. You don't have to or anything-"

"I'd love to." Her voice was quiet and soft, but it got the point across. That shade of dusty pink was back again in full force, and Adrien wanted to hug her. Showing restraint was what his father was proudest of, so he found it in himself to thank her and bring her over to a good observation point.

She waited for the whole hour, and was completely understanding when his father said he had to go home. Seeing the shoot made her happy enough, but Adrien didn't need to know that.

Many times after that, Adrien escaped from a shoot so he could hang out with Marinette. Her company was much preferred over the cameras and lights and photographers. Sometimes, he was even allowed in her room- where he found that the pink that covered her face so often matched the colors of her walls.

He found it quite fitting.


	2. LadyNoir

It came as no surprise when one of those Gabriel had fired for a wardrobe malfunction had been akumatized. Honestly, Gabirel needed to stop making so many akumas. This was the fourth this week, and his sudden activity was nerve-racking.

Since the akuma had attacked the very same day, Chat had not expected to run into his lady. He was a black cat- there was no way he could be that lucky!

Yet somehow he could. It was late- at least eleven PM- when he collided with her. She was yo-yoing from rooftop to rooftop and he was using his baton to move. Evidently, they both had the idea of going to the Eiffel Tower to find peace of mind.

He launched himself through the air and so did she. They knocked each other out of the sky and Chat's baton flew out of his hand, the metal-against-metal sound making everyone within earshot cringe. Both of them began to plummet and Chat, who was at a higher height, began to free fall. His stomach did a few summersaults, but not too many. He'd fallen before as Adrien, and he was sure his lady would save him.

Ladybug managed to keep a grip on her yo-yo as she fell and saved them the same way she had when they first met- by tying the two together, hanging upside-down from one of the outcroppings of the tower.

"Well, nice to see you too," Chat purred, "if you wanted to end up like this, you could've just asked."

"Nice to see you too, Chat," Ladybug agreed as she swung them to the tower and released them both.

"Is- is my Lady's face red? Did I finally crack her?" he asked. The lady in question did in fact have a red face, though she hated to admit it.

"It's from saving your ass, Chat."

"Oh, so you think it's worth saving?" he waggled his eyebrows and Ladybug shot him an unamused face.

"What brings you here? It's nearly midnight." He was curious as to what might keep her up- he prowled the city about once a week because he couldn't sleep. He wondered how often it happened to her.

"The same as always- insomnia," she sighed. Chat knelt for his usual greeting, holding her hand gently. Maybe a little humor would do her good.

"What do you get when you get an dyslexic agnostic insomniac?" Chat asked as he moved to kiss her hand. Oh, he'd been waiting for this joke to be sprung for _forever_!

"Hmm…. you, purrhaps?" she asked teasingly as she pulled her hand away.

"Not dyslexic, my lady," he reminded.

"Eh, close enough." she smirked. Honestly, if she had a penny every time his heart fluttered around her, she'd be able to rival the bank account of Gabriel or Andre Bourgeois or anyone in the world. He decided to finish the joke.

"Someone who stays up all night wondering whether or not there is a dog."

It was obvious she was confused for a moment, and then she understood- he knew because her face lit up a little, and she let out a quiet giggle.

"Silly kitty." she just shook her head fondly. She sat down and patted next to her, so he joined her. They looked out at the city. People were still out and about- Paris is a busy city, after all- but it was peaceful. It was home, and they felt that.

Ladybug rested her head on his shoulder and he let his head gently fall on top of hers. Unsatisfied with her human cushion, she pushed him over and laid her head on his chest, like he was a living pillow. Chat had no complaints, only adjusting himself to make the position more comfortable.

They were silent for a long time. The sounds of cars driving by the tower and planes arriving filled the air, but it was nice. All the noise faded away, and then it was just Chat, Ladybug, and the stars. No Hawkmoth trying to take their miraculous, no school and no Chloe, no harsh parents or rude customers. Just two best friends lapping in the comfort they were offered. Laying there, they knew what home felt like.

They left after watching the sunrise together, parting in silence. Neither had words, and there was no use forcing any there.

Though they ran into each other at night other times, they never spoke of that night again. Ladybug was a bit scared of what she'd felt, and Chat didn't want to push it. But that night was forever burned in their brains, never to be forgotten.

Neither would admit that they wished they could repeat it, though. Especially not to their kwamis.


	3. MariChat

Marinette was tired, but she couldn't sleep. She had spoken to Adrien again that day. Once again he had escaped from a photo shoot and found her. They'd played video games all day, and discussed animes they watched as children.

She had stuttered a lot, but was slowly losing it. She still liked him- a _lot-_ but she found him to be a bit more like Chat Noir. He was dorky and made terrible jokes. It was cute, but made it hard for her to get nervous. All she needed to do was pretend he was Chat, and she was alright. The more she got to know him, the easier it became.

Maybe thinking about the alley cat brought him closer, because when she sat on her balcony chair, she noticed a dark figure passing by. She thought she was imagining things at first- the dark rainclouds sometimes did mimic him enough she thought he might be there at times- but he continued to move. She waved to him, and he got closer.

She waited until he got to her balcony to breathe again. For some reason, her heart was beating faster and faster and she wanted to giggle and- oh, no. _No._ She couldn't-

"Hey, Princess. How's life been?" It was just Chat. _Just Chat_. An easy, simple conversation. A laugh almost escaped her. When was anything in her life easy or simple?

"Oh, uh, I… fine, I guess. How's yours?"

"Same old same old."

"Hm. Is that why you're visiting random civilians in the dead of night?"

"You're the only one I visit, Princess, and don't you forget it," he smiled and bopped her nose gently.

"Not even Ladybug?" she asked, batting her eyes. He just rolled his in return.

"Maybe you wish, but it seems that this cat will be bothering you for the foreseeable future." It shouldn't have made her heart flutter, but since when had it ever cared what she thought? Out of genuine amusement and perhaps a bit of panic, she covered her mouth and giggled.

She was about to say something like, 'you're always welcome here, Chat' or 'I wouldn't dream of getting rid of my alley cat,' but there was a strike of thunder and Chat fell from her railing onto her balcony.

Onto her.

His arms caged her in for a moment before he scrambled off her- just long enough for her to smell… something familiar, and for both of them to develop blushes. _Just a friend, just a friend, just a friend_, her mind chanted.

"Oh sor-sorry. Sometimes the lightning scares me more than it should." He looked down, clearly embarrassed and planning an escape route.

"Chat, oh no its fine- its fine, don't worry about it." she tried to school her face into an expression which didn't highlight her blush (though she much enjoyed his) or betray her cringe at her repeating herself.

Before much else could happen in their teenage awkwardness, it started to rain heavily. Chat became rigid for a moment before jumping quickly under the safety of her umbrella.

"Oh, just- just come inside, Chat. The rain probably won't last long."

"Alright." When she turned around, they both tried to minimize the burning in their cheeks.

"So," Chat began after scrambling into her room and making his home on her floor, "what's that?" He pointed to one of her new projects- a shirt she was making for Alya.

"My friend wanted some Ladybug merch, but couldn't find anything to fit the specifications she wanted. So, why not take the challenge?"

Chat circled around the manikin as if he were a real cat- she smiled at that, remembering his panic about the rain. He really was a cat.

"The craftsmanship… what type of stitch is this? It's not one I recognize." She grinned, happy to talk about her work. They discussed fashion for a long time- Chat had a lot of knowledge about it, to her surprise- but should it really have been? He seemed like a person who would try to be fashionable with his clothes. In any case, he shot off questions as fast as she could answer them. To her delight, he actually seemed genuinely interested, and she was comfortable enough to add in jokes between explanations.

Somehow they wandered from fashion to video games (maybe he asked her if she had ever made cosplay, or perhaps was that earlier in the conversation?) and they ended up playing on her computer.

He picked the same character as Adrien had, but it was a good character and probably a common choice. They moved along with their controllers, pushing up against each other as they hit the buttons and yelled at the screen.

"C'mon, that was _definitely _a hit!" Honestly Marinette agreed, but she wouldn't complain about a glitch in her favor. He was actually a pretty good opponent- maybe even better than Adrien. He wasn't as uncomfortable in her room, it seemed.

The time passed quickly, and so did the storm. They were both disappointed when he admitted he had to leave soon. They were both incredibly comfortable with each other, it seemed- to a point where both of them were questioning themselves. Well, they knew the other, but the other didn't know that… maybe it was just in reaction to their own comfort levels?


	4. Ladrien

Ladybug was fighting an akuma, and Chat wasn't there yet. One of the camerawomen had gotten akumatized during a photo shoot- a photo shoot for the new line of _Gabriel_ clothes- and was now lassoing her victims so they would stay still during her pictures, which made them immobile after the flash.

Oh, she hoped Adrien was okay.

He wasn't a model, but he had been overseeing it with his father. Nino had told her that he hadn't been looking forward to it, but was too resigned to object to his father.

At least he wouldn't be one of the targets, most likely.

Well, she couldn't wait forever for Chat. It was time to engage with the villain. Hopefully Chat would arrive soon.

"Sit still, it must be picture perfect!" The akuma yelled at one of the models, tightening her lasso as the model shielded themself.

"Stop right there!" Ladybug yelled. The model took advantage of the slack in the lasso and ran. Good.

"Ladybug. Why don't you be a dear and give me your miraculous? I'm sure you'll make a fabulous sight to see."

"No thanks," she fired back. "I have other plans for today."

The akuma lunged, the rope shooting towards her and narrowly missing her arm. Okay, they were a bit too fast for her liking…

They exchanged blows- her yoyo pulling the rope away at the last second, the akuma still trying to get her still enough for a picture. It was going pretty well (if she did say so herself), until her ankle got caught. "_Oh no"_, was all she had time to think before she was thrown towards the fountain.

Her landing was softer than she expected. She forced her eyes open. Whatever she landed on made a noise.

She scrambled off the poor bystander- _Adrien, oh no oh god_\- and picked him up. He needed to get far away from the fight.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" she asked as she deposited him on the other side of the park. She could hear the villain roar for the 'perfect model" to come back, but she could ignore that for a few more moments, right?

"I'm fine, go!" His face was red as he gently pushed her back towards the fight. With one last glance to make sure he didn't look pained, she ran back.

Chat arrived a few minutes later, apologizing profusely but ready to fight. The akuma went down fast, her lucky charm of another rope for Chat to tangle the villain in along with her yoyo making it easy for him to cataclysm the camera.

Both of their transformations were wearing off, quickly. They both got their warning beeps within a few seconds, and they both _ran_. The park didn't have much cover- just a few trees.

They both ended up behind two neighboring trees.

"Uh… hey, Chat," Marinette shyly said, her eyes wide open. Adrien's eyes were squished closed, to where it started to hurt from the force of it.

"I… it's too late, Adrien. I see you." She sounded guilty.

"Can- Can I see?" Her voice was so familiar… he was shaking a bit from the anticipation.

"Yeah, uh. Yeah, you can."

Slowly, he opened his eyes. He turned to his left, where her voice had come from and-

_Oh._

"Hi, Marinette," he grinned.

When they told Nino and Alya they were dating, money exchanged hands. Nino sighed, and Alya laughed.

"Couldn't you have waited until after school to tell us? I had a lot of money on that."

They all laughed, and walked into school, both pairs hand in hand.

When they were asked how they got together, they made up some story about Marinette confessing and chaos during a photo shoot that ended with them kissing. They both felt a little bad about lying, but their secret identities were more important. There was one thing they didn't change, though. The truth of the matter was, they had been on a collision course and finally they aligned enough to collide.

Author's Note: This is an old fic and I found the chapters I hadn't posted. Any feedback on how to improve my writing style or the story is appreciated!


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